Latin American Studies (LTAM)
The Latin American Studies Program provides a framework for studying the diverse societies of Latin America. With its cultural mosaic shaped by the meeting of Native American, European, African, and Asian peoples, and its profound geographic, social, and economic variations, Latin America presents rich opportunities for interdisciplinary and cross-cultural study. By drawing upon the perspectives and methodologies of several disciplines, students are challenged to pursue a deeper understanding of the cultures, institutions, and experiences of Latin Americans. The program provides a forum for examining the intersection of issues of politics, economic development, ethnicity, gender, religion, and cultural expression.
Students interested in exploring Latin American Studies as a possible major are strongly encouraged to enroll in at least one of several gateway courses early in their career at Carleton. Those designated courses are: History 170 Modern Latin America, Political Science 221 Latin American Politics, Sociology/Anthropology 250 Ethnography of Latin America, and Spanish 242 Introduction to Latin American Literature.
Requirements for a Major
Students complete a minimum of sixty-six credits in approved courses for the major. Majors must also demonstrate competence in Spanish by completing Spanish 205 or equivalent.
Required Courses: (The following core courses are required of all majors):
HIST 170 Modern Latin America, 1810-present
LTAM 300 Issues in Latin American Studies
LTAM 400 Integrative Exercise
In addition, majors are required to complete: Two 300-level Latin America-focused courses offered in the Spanish department. One 300-level history, or sociology/anthropology, or political science course focused on Latin America, and 30 additional credits of electives from the list below. The 300-level courses in the Spanish department that are required are always taught in the language.
Students are strongly encouraged to complete the non-Spanish 300-level course prior to writing their integrative exercise, and to select a 300-level course in a discipline appropriate to the focus of their anticipated comps topic. Students who complete this requirement with a 300-level history course must take at least one approved sociology and anthropology or political science course as an elective.
Up to 27 credits from work in approved off-campus programs may be counted as electives for the major. Credits in natural science courses taken in Latin America may be applied toward the electives requirement if the director approves. Up to twelve elective credits may be comparative or Latino in focus (American Studies 226, Economics 240, 241, Music 141, Politcal Science 233, Sociology/Anthropology 203, 233, 234, 259, 302). No more than four courses (twenty-four credits) in any one discipline may apply to the major.
Latin American Studies Courses
LTAM 100. The Politics of Memory in Latin American Literature We will explore the ethics and politics of memory and trauma in societies previously torn asunder by civil wars and dictatorships. The texts and films assigned will be studies of how subjective and collective memories are negotiated both through fictional and testimonial narratives. Our focus will be primarily on Argentina, Chile, Guatemala and El Salvador but we will also read some Holocaust literature to compare how this subject has been represented in another tradition. The primary question we will explore is: how does a work of art adequately represent the horror without aestheticizing the experience? 6 cr., AI, WR1, IS, Fall—Y. Pérez
LTAM 110. Portuguese for Spanish Speakers This fast-paced introductory Portuguese language course focuses on developing communication skills and emphasizes speaking, reading, and writing. Previous knowledge of Spanish is assumed in presentation of grammar and vocabulary. Prerequisite: Spanish 204 or permission of the instructor. 3 cr., S/CR/NC, NE, Offered in alternate years. Spring—H. Kaufman
LTAM 270. Chile's September 11th: History and Memory since the Coup September 11, 2013 marks the fortieth anniversary of the coup 'e' tat that deposed the democratically elected government of socialist Salvador Allende and initiated the seventeen-year dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. This interdisciplinary course canvasses this tumultuous period in Chilean history through the study of speeches and interviews from the era, testimonials, declassified U.S. security documents, literature, film, photographs, and music. It explores the Allende years, the domestic and international contexts of the coup, the dictatorship's "counterinsurgency" and neoliberal reform programs, protest movements against military rule, and the ongoing struggles over human rights, popular mobilization, and collective memory. 6 cr., HI, WR2, IS, Not offered in 2014-2015.
LTAM 300. Issues in Latin American Studies This required course for Latin American Studies concentrators and majors explores complex issues pertinent to the study of Latin America. These issues may include the emergence of indigenous cosmopolitics in the Andean region, the workings of narco states and their networks, and the contemporary urban cultural production in major Latin American cities, among others. The course emphasizes the necessity of a multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary research perspective for understanding the changing nature of Latin American Studies today. Designed by the faculty in Latin American Studies, the course will include regular guest lectures from among these faculty. Prerequisite: Any Latin American gateway course. 6 cr., SI, IS, Offered in alternate years. Not offered in 2014-2015.
LTAM 370. Brazil Culture and Politics This course will focus in depth on political and historical patterns of Brazil's economic, social, and cultural development from colonial times to its current democracy. The Brazil case study offers a wealth of lessons concerning the contradictions and possibilities of economic, social, and cultural development in the world today. We will explore these lessons through literature, music, architecture, and the arts as they speak to the perils of the country's insertion into global capitalism and to its political history which reflects the difficulties of creating and deepening democracy and building centers of political authority in the context of growing social inequalities and industrialization. Prerequisite: Latin American Studies 300. 6 cr., SI, IS, Not offered in 2014-2015.
LTAM 371. Brazil Research Seminar Brazil research on-site in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo during winter break. Writing and presentation of research projects during winter term. Prerequisite: Latin American Studies 370. 6 cr., SI, IS, Not offered in 2014-2015.
LTAM 382. Conflictive Development: Peru 1980 to Present This is a two-track course that focuses, on one hand, on specific problems resulting from the conflict between strong economic growth and the persistence of social inequality and marginalization. On the other hand, the class will explore the difficulties of creating forms of participatory politics, against the background of key moments in Peru's political history. The emphasis will be on present-day manifestations of the polarity "formal" vs. "real" democracy." A political scientist and a sociologist lead the class, and classes are supplemented with lectures by experts on specific issues. Prerequisite: Spanish 204 or the equivalent. 6 cr., SI, IS, Spring—J. Cerna-Bazan
LTAM 398. Latin American Forum This colloquium will explore specific issues or works in Latin American Studies through discussion of a common reading, public presentation, project, and/or performance that constitute the annual Latin American Forum. Students will be required to attend two meetings during the term to discuss the common reading or other material and must attend, without exception, ALL events of the Forum which take place during fourth week of spring term (on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning). A short integrative essay or report will be required at the end of the term. Intended as capstone for Latin American Studies concentrators. 2 cr., S/CR/NC, HI, IS, Spring—C. Ocampo Raeder
LTAM 400. Integrative Exercise Satisfactory completion of the major includes the writing of a thesis which attempts to integrate at least two of the various disciplines studied. A proposal must be submitted for approval early in the fall term of the senior year. The thesis in its final form is due no later than the end of the first week of spring term. An oral defense of the thesis is required. 6 cr., S/NC, Fall,Winter,Spring—A. Fisher, A. Montero